1. 12345/000123 “After everything Sunnybrook gave me back, I’d give
Mr Sam Sample anything I can to help them.”
1 Sample Street
Sampletown, ON Santanna Marrocco.
M4K 1R2 Her life was saved by Sunnybrook’s amazing care.
1 February 2012
Will you renew your support for Sunnybrook today?
A gift of $125 will help fund crucial projects – including our Trauma, Emergency and
Critical Care team – and save the lives of even more people like Santanna.
Dear Sam,
Let me begin by wishing you a Happy New Year. I’m getting in touch today to share with you the
extremely shocking story of a very brave young woman who owes her life to emergency care she received
at Sunnybrook. But before I tell you about that, I have a very important request to make.
Will you please renew your support for Sunnybrook, by making a gift of $125? Your
contribution could help raise the funds urgently needed in order to make sure Sunnybrook continues
to provide the most effective care for critically ill or injured people.
Right now, the survival rate of people who come to us for emergency treatment is an amazing 90%.
This is because of two important factors. We have state-of-the-art technology, and we have some of the best
and highly trained people operating it.
Our well-equipped facility allows our experts to provide highly effective care for people who have
suffered severe traumas. And, at the same time, talented physicians from around the world are continually
coming to work at Sunnybrook in order to learn and maintain the gold standard in trauma care that we’ve
developed over the years.
It all means that, when you or a loved one come to Sunnybrook for treatment, you know you’re in
safe hands.
But, the fact is that, to make sure we can carry on providing optimum care for everyone who needs
us, we rely upon your help. A gift from you today could help us keep pace with all the latest developments
in hospital equipment and make sure we continue to attract the best minds in modern medical science. It’s
precisely why I’m getting in touch today.
I’m extremely grateful for the very kind monthly donations you make. Your support enables us
Sunnybrook Foundation 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4N 3M5 sunnybrook.ca/renew

2. to do so much and confirms your position as one of our most valued friends. But, the truth is, right now
we urgently need to boost our resources. That’s why, I really hope you’ll show your generosity again in a
slightly different way and make an extra gift that will help fund life-saving work in the months ahead.
And, believe me, it’s absolutely essential that we do keep programs like this running at the
highest possible level. So many people’s lives could depend on it.
I’m talking about people like 24-year old Santanna Marrocco. A little over a year ago, she was
involved in an accident that left her with horrific injuries. Her story is shocking, but I want to share it with
you.
It all started late on a Thursday afternoon in early December 2010. Santanna and her mother-in-law
had just finished installing a set of holiday flower arrangements at a client’s house. The pair planned to fit
in one more client visit before Santanna met her husband Dan for a dinner date.
As they turned out of the driveway, their truck collided with another car. Though both vehicles were
badly damaged, no one was seriously injured. While Santanna waited for the police to turn up, Santanna’s
husband and her father-in-law arrived.
About 40 minutes later, without warning, another car cleared the corner, slid on the ice and spun. It
was followed by a black truck that swerved to avoid the car. It too struck the ice, hit Santanna and tossed
her through the air. The truck then ran over her and dragged Santanna about four metres before it came to
rest, with her buried in the snow under its rear wheels. Santanna told us:
“All I remember is being stuck underneath the vehicle, being really, really cold and saying ‘goodbye’
to my husband. I felt sure that I wasn’t going to make it. I felt like I was going to pass out and I saw all the
blood coming round. I was thinking that I would never see my husband again.”
Clearly, Santanna’s life was hanging by a thread. But, amazingly, help was at hand. You see, the
crash took place not far from the home of a Sunnybrook doctor. Dr. Valerie Krym was outside, cleaning
snow off the steps of their house when her husband telephoned. He’d heard about the crash and called
home to check on his wife.
Dr. Krym, an emergency physician at Sunnybrook, walked to the end of her long driveway. The
crash scene was a kilometre away and Dr. Krym’s car was in the shop, but because there were so many
emergency vehicles on the scene she decided to walk there. When Dr. Krym arrived, she saw that Santanna
was critically injured - her pelvis and lower legs were crushed and one of the major blood vessels in one of
her legs had opened up. Her blood pressure was very low.
But, thank goodness, Dr. Krym knew exactly what to do. Even though Sunnybrook was not the
nearest hospital, Dr Krym knew that our Trauma Centre was Santanna’s only hope of pulling through. A
small, closer hospital simply wouldn’t have the expertise or facilities Santanna needed. Santanna explained:
“The only reason I survived was because of Dr. Krym. As they were loading me into the ambulance,
she told them to go to right to Sunnybrook and she would deal with any consequences. Thank god she did
that, and she had a trauma team for me all set up there and ready to go.”
When Santanna arrived at Sunnybrook, her injuries were so horrific, the team did not think she

3. would live. She had lost more than half her blood. But, still, the doctors did everything they could to save
her.
Now, Sam, I’m going to ask you to take a moment to consider something you might not want to
think about. What if Santanna were your daughter or granddaughter? Wouldn’t you want to know that she
was in safe hands, getting some of the very best care?
Well, today, I’m asking you to help make sure that everyone who comes to us for help gets
just that.
Will you send a gift of $125? Your contribution could help Sunnybrook’s Trauma, Emergency
and Critical Care team keep up to date with advances in medical technology and highly trained staff.
I really can’t exaggerate how much of a difference it will make to people’s lives – and just how
many lives it will touch.
I’m proud to say that the teams at Sunnybrook are Canada’s preeminent trauma, emergency and
critical care experts. Since the hospital was founded in 1976, we have treated more than 45,000 trauma and
emergency patients every single year, and today we treat 75% of all serious trauma cases in the Greater
Toronto area.
Let’s be clear, these are the most seriously injured patients, suffering from the worst types of
injuries. Sunnybrook’s amazing staff and facilities offer the key to survival.
Santanna told us:
“I died twice on the operating table due to blood loss. It was nine hours before they could stabilize
me. But the care there was awesome. All the nurses were amazing, the doctors were amazing. They were
right on top of things. If something went wrong they were right there and they knew exactly what to do.”
I’m happy to tell you that, against all the odds. Santanna made it. The doctors amputated her left
leg above the knee and performed a through-the-knee amputation on her right leg. But the main thing is,
she is alive – thanks to the skill and dedication of our Trauma, Care and Critical Care team, and the quick
thinking of Dr. Valerie Krym. Santanna said:
“Dr. Krym stayed and watched all the surgery, and – it was amazing – she came afterwards, when
I was more stabilized and saw me every couple of days and checked on me. She is definitely my hero. If it
wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be here.”
There’s no doubting that Dr. Krym’s actions helped save Santanna’s life. But Dr. Krym herself is
quick to point out that Santanna also owes a lot to the amazing care she received at Sunnybrook. Dr. Krym
told us:
“I’ve worked at a lot of different emergency departments across Canada, and I can tell you,
Sunnybrook has developed an amazing emergency and critical care focus. This is a centre of excellence.
The trauma facility is excellent – one of the best in Canada. Also the way trauma is handled here, you have
a team with very specialised, focused skills that descend on the trauma patient to try and save her life. It’s
like a well-oiled machine. It’s very well coordinated. So it’s to do with having excellent facilities, good

4. leadership and a focus on providing good trauma care.”
Today, thanks to all this specialist medical attention, Santanna is making amazing progress.
“I’m getting better. It’s only been about a year so there’s still a lot of healing and a lot of pain. But
I’ve started using prosthetic legs, which are very good. I’ve been doing that for about four months. Now I
can get up by myself and walk around. It is hard work but it will be worth it in the end.”
It’s an incredible story isn’t it? And, you’ll understand, I hope, exactly why I want to make sure that
everyone who comes to us gets the same life-saving treatment – regardless of how serious their injuries are.
To do that, it’s absolutely crucial to ensure Sunnybrook continues to have the newest equipment
and the most highly skilled staff.
And that’s precisely what your gift can help us to achieve. Please renew your support, by
sending $125 today.
It will mean the world to thousands of people like Santanna. With ongoing support from us, and a
lot of determination, this brave young woman is slowly piecing her life back together. She explained:
“Before the accident I had horses. I was really into riding and I went riding every couple of weeks.
The people at Sunnybrook have been trying out different straps and helping me figure out how I’m going to
get back on a horse – which is most important to me. I can’t wait till I get back up on the horse.”
Santanna was very lucky indeed. She owes her life to Dr. Krym’s quick wits and the life-saving
care she received at Sunnybrook. Now I’m asking you to help make sure we can do the same for thousands
more people in the months and years ahead.
If you can help, please return your gift in the envelope provided. I really can’t tell you how grateful
I will be.
With warmest thanks and best wishes for the New Year,
Pamela Ross
Vice President
Sunnybrook Foundation
P.S. Thanks to the support of people like you, Sunnybrook has state-of-the-art facilities and highly
trained staff who are saving lives every day. But to carry on providing this life-saving care, it’s crucial that
we keep up-to-date with the newest equipment and the most qualified experts. A gift from you today can
help us to do just that.
Please, if you can, send $125, $150 or even an exceptionally generous $200 today. With your help,
we can save even more lives like Santanna’s – now and for generations to come. Thank you.